sales & customer service.
Sales and customer service are the two departments that customers engage with the most. They are the face of your company, and customers make a lot of their judgements on whether or not to do business with companies based on their experiences with these team members. Being educated, consistent, and reliable is of the upmost importance in acquiring new business and growing existing business. This is true for both B2B and B2C organizations.
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Sales
There are two types of sales professionals: hunters and farmers. One cannot exist without the other, and both very important in different ways.
Hunters seek out new business, farmers grow existing business.
As someone who has taken on both of these roles, I can speak from first hand experience about the importance of having a deep understanding of product or service offerings, capabilities, and differentiators in being successful in these positions. Just as importantly, having the same knowledge and understanding of the company's target market can make or break business relationships.
Most of my sales experience is B2B and within the janitorial and sanitation industry. I worked for buying groups that have contracts with hundreds of different suppliers/manufacturers. It was my job to learn as much as possible about all of these companies and build relationships with them quickly.
Some of the suppliers I have had the pleasure of partnering with are GOJO, Americo, Kutol, 3M, Vectair, Bissell, Misco, Crown Matting, Diamond, Marcal, Simoniz, and Solo.
Acquisition
Bringing in new accounts is always invigorating. Sometimes it can take time to get the opportunity to present yourself and company to a potential new account, so being able to manage long drip campaigns is vital. It's easy to give up after leaving a few voicemails or a string of emails that don't get response, but it's always important as a hunter to keep pushing.
A mentor of mine from early in my career once told me "You lose 100% of what you don't ask for". I found this incredibly profound, and she was right. Since then, I have applied this to every sales call and meeting I've made.
Qualifying Leads
Not all prospects can become sales qualified leads. How do you filter out the leads that aren't qualified? Research your prospects before attempting to make contact. Make sure their business model is conducive to yours and that they have needs that your product/service can meet.
Overcoming objections can be difficult. The most common objection I've heard has to do with pricing. However, any good sales person knows that when a lead objects to price, this really means they don't see the value of your product/service yet. This is one of the reasons why I never discuss pricing out the gate.
Retention
I don't view business relationships as transactional. There is no such things as one-and-done when it's my account. Asking questions and frequently being in their in-box keeps me, and your business, on this customer's mind and builds a track record of reliability and partnership.
Retaining existing business is just as important and bringing in new business. These are the accounts that entrusted you in the past. They hold the key to maintaining your business growth and can serve as your greatest marketing resource: word of mouth.
Set reminders to reach out to your existing business regularly, even just a phone call or an email. If their numbers are low, check in on how their business is doing and how you can help. If they're strong, then it's an opportunity to discuss any new changes or additions to your products or services that could bolster them even further.
I make it a rule to touch every one of my accounts at least once a month. Whether it be a call, an email, or swinging by the office. Benjamin Franklin was once quoted, "Watch your pennies and your dollars will watch themselves". Pay attention to your small accounts, because they matter just as much as your large ones.
The most effective sales representatives are the ones who remember their customer's anniversary, not just the size of their business.
80-20
The Pareto Principle, which dates back to the 19th century, is where Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto discovered that 80% of results come from 20% of the effort put in. This is now known as the 80-20 rule. In sales, this translates into 80% of your revenue is derived from 20% of your accounts. This explains why we often give special treatment to our biggest accounts and are less lenient with our smaller ones. However, this is not an excuse to let those smaller accounts walk out the back door. As a "farmer" responsible for account retention, it is your job to be proactive, keep the lines of communication open, and be the solution whenever possible.
Customer Service
Nothing is worse than calling in for customer service and getting on the phone with a rude person. As someone who spent years on the "front line", I know there is a certain pressure to needing to have all the answers at my fingertips - or to know exactly who else would have the answer.
My sales role expanded into customer service during the pandemic. For a year, whenever an end-user called the 1-800 number on any of my company's products, it got routed directly to me. I gained a new respect for the men and women working in customer service and the absolute talent it takes to manage this role successfully.
Always remember:
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The customer called because they are experiencing a problem - do your best to be the solution
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Don't be afraid to gather all the information you can and ask if you can call them back with the solution
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It is better to be honest if you don't have the answer, and then immediately assure them you will find it
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Never let a call-back take more than 30 minutes. If finding the solution involves another party, and they are not available, call the customer back and give them an update - they will appreciate you keeping them informed
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Email is your friend - if the solution requires the customer to make more than one step, email it to them. This will reduce confusion later and serve as back up for you if need be
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Don't make promises you can't keep - if the solution requires escalation, that's okay and does not mean you did anything wrong.